Not only are diamonds the hardest known element on earth, but they're also the most timeless. How much do you know about diamonds? You may be surprised by what you can learn about them.
Diamonds have been well-loved by countless people for centuries, so it's no wonder that there are a host of rare facts you can learn. Today we'll explore 17 diamond facts that can give you more appreciation for this historical gemstone.
1. Diamonds Are One of Nature's Hardest Substances
Perhaps you already knew this, but diamonds are a truly remarkable force of nature. Amazingly, this stone is 58x as strong as any other natural substance, meaning that a diamond is the only thing strong enough to cut another diamond.
2. Not All Diamonds Are White
You may have known that diamonds receive a grading for their color. This scale ranges from an excellent D grade to an unfortunate Z grade, from colorless to pigmented yellow. Did you know that diamonds are available in almost all colors? It's another fascinating factor to love about this stone.
3. A Fifteen-Year-Old Discovered One of the Most Famous Diamonds
In 1867, Erasmus Jacobs happened to discover a peculiar stone on the banks of the Orange River. This diamond weighed over 20 carats, and it was the first diamond found in South Africa, making it a historical artifact. The Eureka Diamond symbolizes all the little treasures that can occur in everyday life when your eyes are open to them.
4. Only the King Could Wear Diamonds at One Time
France passed an outlandish law in the 1900s. Unlike the fair standards of today, at one point, only a king could adorn himself in diamond jewelry. Any commoner found to be wearing diamonds faced extreme consequences due to the rarity of diamonds at the time.
5. Earth Isn't the Only Place for Diamonds
Did you know there are diamonds in space? Some white dwarf stars even contain diamond cores. Scientists think that the largest diamond in space weighs over two trillion tons, containing 10 billion carats. That's impressive in any universe.
6. Diamonds Can Lose Weight
Although these precious stones may not possess the ability to exercise and shed pounds of their own accord, they do lose a significant amount of their weight before they reach you. These stones can lose as much as 50% of their weight during the cutting and polishing process.
7. Even a Candle Contains Diamonds
Think all diamonds are visible to the naked eye? Think again. While you might picture elegant diamond rings or posh diamond earrings when you think of diamonds, there are also varieties too small to make jewelry.
Within a candle's flame, scientists believe 1.5 million nanoparticles are floating in the fire. There is a wealth of symbolism for the poets to see in this fascinating fact.
8. Diamonds Have Exciting Origins
Where do diamonds come from? Miners can find diamonds in shallow alluvial deposits, where the crystals settle after geologic action and rivers carry them away from the kimberlite pipes.
Going back further than that, diamonds formed on our earth billions of years ago through extreme processes. This fact gives new meaning to the timeless love that diamond rings tend to represent.
9. Humans Can Create Diamonds, Too
Diamonds are one of the earth's most significant natural resources because of their rarity. However, did you know that jewelers now possess the technology and knowledge to craft diamonds in-house? Lab-created diamonds are just like natural diamonds, both chemically and visually.
One attractive feature of lab-created stones is their conflict-free nature. When a jeweler grows a diamond in-house, there's no question about unfair mining conditions or improper activity. Another perk to choosing this kind of stone in your jewelry is its affordable price. Lab-created stones are usually a percentage of the cost of natural-grown diamond jewelry.
10. The Largest Diamond in the U.S. Is Emerald-Cut
The largest diamond ever found on U.S. soil is called the Uncle Sam diamond. This stone originated from Murfreesboro, Arkansas, in 1924 and weighed in at 40.23 carats.
Another interesting fact about this stone is that someone found it in a mine that is open to the public called the Crater of Diamonds State Park. Since someone unearthed the Uncle Sam diamond in 1924, over 70,000 diamonds have been discovered at this site.
11. The Largest Diamond Discovered Weighed 3,106 Carats
In 1905, miners discovered South Africa's largest uncut gem, which weighed an astounding 3,106 carats. The Cullinan Diamond was cut into 105 individual diamonds, but this discovery remains the largest diamond discovery worldwide. The Crown Jewels of Great Britain host a number of the smaller yet impressive stones.
12. Diamonds Can Burn
When you learn about a diamond's characteristics, you may notice that diamond experts sometimes refer to a diamond's fire. This descriptive word references how a stone interacts with light, so don't be misled by this fact.
Diamonds can burn at extremely high temperatures. It takes a temperature of 1920 to 1640 degrees, but it is possible. For reference, some house fires may reach that temperature.
13. One Month of the Year Enjoys Diamonds as Its Birthstone
Are you familiar with the varying gemstones that represent each month of the year? Sometimes relatives, friends, and loved ones may give you jewelry featuring your birthstone to celebrate your birthday.
If you were born in April, you're in luck. April's birthstone is a diamond, meaning you may receive more diamonds in your life based on your birth month alone.
Here's a list of all birthstones by month if you want to learn your own:
January: Garnet
February: Amethyst
March: Aquamarine
April: Diamond
May: Emerald
June: Pearl
July: Ruby
August: Peridot
September: Sapphire
October: Opal
November: Topaz
December: Tanzanite
14. A Majority of Diamonds Form Nearly 62 Miles Below the Earth's Surface
You might have already known that diamonds must be mined from places deep within the earth, hidden behind layers of natural elements. However, did you know that most diamonds grow over 60 miles beneath where you're standing?
Many diamonds are even deeper than that, with some growing as deep as 118 miles below the earth's surface. It's a phenomenal piece of information that can cause you to adore your beloved diamond jewelry collection all the more.
15. Some Diamonds Might Be From Outer Space
Diamonds are one of the earth's most precious treasures. What if some of these stones originated in space? Some believe that Carbonado diamonds from South Africa and Africa might be products of an Asteroid deposit colliding with the earth nearly three billion years ago. Your favorite diamond necklace might be out-of-this-world in more ways than one.
16. NYC Hosts Nearly 80% of Diamond Sales
This city that never sleeps hosts a majority of the world's diamond sales and resales. There's even an entire sector of New York with the nickname "Diamond District."
17. Natural Diamonds Are One-in-a-Million
For approximately every one million parts of mined rock, one part diamond becomes unearthed. This ratio leads to nearly 500,000 tons of earth that miners have to process to discover one million pounds of natural diamonds. It's one of the reasons this stone is so rare and regarded by many.
Why You Should Choose Noémie When You're Buying Diamond Jewelry
Typical jewelry retailers may not have your best interest in mind. We made up our minds to do better and offer you worthy jewelry at a more affordable price. How do we make this possible?
- We own our own production house. This means we can cut out the middlemen that most typical retailers use out of convenience. We produce our own jewelry, and you see the benefits at a more affordable price.
- We're thoughtful with our product assortment. We don't flood our inventory with just anything—we want to provide timeless jewelry that endures. Thoughtful assortment allows us to save you money by avoiding excess production.
- We don't do traditional retail markups. Our prices are some of the fairest around. We design, source, craft, and sell our diamond jewelry to you directly to offer excellent value.
Diamonds Are One of Earth's Purest Gifts
Knowing more about a topic can help you to appreciate its value even more. Now that you've explored some of the fascinating origins and facts about diamonds, we hope you've fallen even more in love with them.
When you feel prompted to indulge in fine diamond jewelry for yourself or others, remember Noémie jewelry is here to enhance your journey with the best quality diamonds and materials.
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